December 20, 2010 - The Senate on Saturday voted to pass
legislation repealing the discriminatory "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" policy, sending the historic bill to the
president's desk for signature. The "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell" Repeal Act of 2010 (H.R. 2965) was passed in the
House of Representatives on Wednesday.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was passed into law in 1993 and,
since 1994, more than 14,000 qualified and committed
service members, both men and women, have been
discharged under the policy simply on the basis of their
sexual orientation. The momentum to repeal "Don't Ask,
Don't Tell" has been building for nearly a year with
President Obama calling for its repeal in his State of
the Union address and the highest ranking members of the
military calling for the policy to end.

For nearly two decades, gay and lesbian service members
have been forced to hide who they are in order to serve
their country. That will soon end. The significance of
this vote should not be underestimated and should serve
as confirmation that we should not and cannot codify
discrimination into our laws.

President Barack Obama makes Congressional calls
from the Oval Office before Senate's final vote on the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. December 18,
2010.

Don't Ask,
Don't Tell' had no place in a country where we value the equal
treatment of all our citizens. We urge President Obama to
swiftly sign this bill and ensure that our gay and lesbian
service members can serve their country with honesty and
dignity.

Saturday?s
historic vote would not have happened without the tireless
efforts of many, including leaders in Congress, advocates, and
the clear leadership provided by the President. On Saturday
morning, President Obama had reached out to Senators from both
sides of the aisle to help secure votes. It was only 11 months
ago that the President called for the repeal in his first State
of the Union and then laid out the plan, including the
Pentagon?s Comprehensive Review for the Repeal of Don?t Ask
Don?t Tell, that has taken us to where we are today.

President
Obama ? ?Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward
ending a policy that undermines our national security while
violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in
uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending ?Don?t Ask, Don?t
Tell,? no longer will our nation be denied the service of
thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military,
despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to
be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live
a lie in order to serve the country they love.

?As
Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this
change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the
best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known. And I
join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by
the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new
policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness.

?I
want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and
Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to
get this done. It is time to close this chapter in our
history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and
integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than
they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to
allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country
openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so
that I can sign it into law.?